The perils of parking in Perth street: eight tickets per metre this year

A PERTH street has emerged as one of the most perilous for parking motorists in Scotland after wardens handed out an average of eight tickets per metre.

George Street is just 170 yards long but wardens handed out no fewer than 1,367 parking tickets in the past year.

Hawk-eyed wardens have even slapped fines on funeral workers who were delicately transporting ashes.

The short narrow Perth street also only has one ticket machine

And the penalties – £30 raising to £60 after 14 days – have raked in almost £82,000 for Perth & Kinross Council from that one street alone.

The council is defiant over the level of ticketing, praising its parking wardens for their tenacity and insisting they carry out their job in accordance with “traffic regulations”.

But campaigners claim patrolling wardens are failing to use their discretion because – unlike the police – the council get to keep hold of the money generated through fines.

George Street is on the edge of the city centre and provides visitors with just 23 regular bays, five disabled bays, two motorcycle spaces, three large loading bays and a bus stop.

The maximum permitted time to park up is one hour and must fork out £1.50 for the full time-slot.

Billy Penicuik of James McEwan Funeral Services said the company hearse and limousine have been ticketed four times this year.

Mr Penicuik said the street is so small they are forced to occasionally stop in a disabled bay but parking attendants are showing no mercy.

He said: “When we are bringing in ashes you don’t want to have to park 100 yards down the road and carry them in full view – you want to do it discreetly.

“There needs to be a bit of discretion.”

But the AA motoring group said motorists are unlikely to see council wardens turn a blind eye as it is a good source of income.

A spokesman said: “Local authorities have been raising parking charges and enforcing the rules more strictly than police forces because they are allowed to keep the revenue.

“This is a good way to overcome some of the cuts imposed by central government.”

Earlier this month it was revealed Aberdeen City Council netted £1,470,820 in 2011/12 in parking fines.

In April, Edinburgh council were reported to rake in more than £6 million from parking fines – the equivalent of 210,000 tickets, with Chambers Street and George Street among the most ticketed.

Glasgow City Council, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance, were also reported to collect around £5million a year in parking tickets.

A spokeswoman for Perth & Kinross Council said: “The council will issue penalty charge notices only where it is necessary to do so and in accordance with the traffic regulations as they apply to individual streets.

“Our parking attendants have a key role to play in keeping traffic moving as much as possible and will check vehicles to ensure each displays a valid ticket.”